Monkey Shoulder

Please take into account that these are my personal tasting notes and personal experience, as such you may interpret this whisky very differently from me.

Colour:

Light gold.

Nose:

Sweet and fruity, giving way to vanilla and toffee. A hint of smoke underneath.

With Water: Pretty much the same but with a note of coconut thrown in.

Palate:

Like the nose it starts fruity with a citrus edge. Moves into the vanilla and toffee creaminess again but then continues to oak with a touch of clove which adds a slight bitterness which nicely contrasts with the sweeter notes.

With Water: Much the same again but with the spiciness/bitterness of the clove dialed down a notch.

Finish:

Medium length, slightly drying with a touch of smoke on the finish and more oak.

With Water: More nutty on the finish.

Overall:

Upfront – thats not a bad thing though, far from it! It’s easy to pick out a range of interesting qualities yet at the same time no one note is overwhelming making it accessible to anybody’s palate. When people talk about how single malt is much better than blended whisky this is where to point them – a good solid blend, sweet with a nice mix of fruit and vanilla/toffee but with a dash of oak and spice to temper the sweetness.

It’s also not going to break the bank which makes it even better as for the price it’s an absolute bargain and I would highly recommend picking up a bottle on your next shopping trip.

This would also work fantastically in a range of cocktails – if that’s what you’re after then check out the cocktail recipes on Monkey Shoulder’s website or try creating your own.

Some say it tastes just like riding bareback on the wild moors of Scotland with a flame haired maiden on Christmas morning. Others agree it tastes like 007 wearing a tuxedo wetsuit. If you haven’t tried either yet but want a handy little cheat sheet to check out, here you go – but remember it’s completely up to you, what you think it tastes like.

Nose: Zesty Orange meets mellow vanilla, honey and spiced oak

Taste: Mellow vanilla with spicy hints

Finish: Super smooth

Whatever you make of Monkey shoulder, it’s amazing on the rocks or bartender to make one of the Monkey Shoulder mixes we have there, or get them to rustle up something they’ve invented. Have a crack at some of them too, as we’ve made sure you don’t have to be a bartender guru to knock these up.